


The Way We Are Connected

by mars_maple



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eventual Romance, Friends to Lovers, Jealousy, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:36:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26877556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mars_maple/pseuds/mars_maple
Summary: Katara and Zuko feel something growing in the space between them, But sozin's comet is almost here and their are other people to consider. Can they find there way to each other before its all over?
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Kudos: 4





	1. Forgiveness

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! this is my first Fan Fic about these too! I hope you like it! let me know if you have any thoughts, I will most likely update around once a week. :)

Katara felt his hands close around her wast, they were larger then hers. Zuko's smell seemed to rap around her, smoky and deep but as soft as the sunset, she laid her head on his shoulder and for that moment it felt like the world, and her were complete.

  
It only lasted for 10 seconds, as she hugged zuko katara felt aang's gray eyes on her back. She released zuko and felt ever thing fall back onto her.  
Rushing back up to there camp katara felt her words bounce around the inside of her head,

  
_But I am ready to forgive you_   
_forgive you_   
_You_

  
Those words were the only thing in her head as she walked to her tent, truthfully zuko was the only thing on her mind. How she has had hugged him and more importantly how he had hugged her back. Pushing her minds wonderings down she headed in to her tent. The space was small, her sleeping bag was on one side, and a small satchel containing her fire nation outfit and a few small mementos from there groups travels around the world leaned on the opposite side of the tent.

Collapsing on the the floor she thought of everything she and well zuko had been through today, and every thing she would still have todo. From dinner, to telling sokka that she was alright and aang's inevitable questions. All she wanted to do was sleep.

\--------------------------

Zuko walked slowly to there camp, his mine was racing with the events of the day, part of him was still un sure if the last 5 minutes had truly happened or not. It seemed to him worlds away from reality that katara could ever forgive him, the Fire Lords son.

  
As he emerged from the rocks that hung close to the path sokka, suki, and toph looked towered him expectantly. He wasn't at all surprised to see that katara wasn't with them.  
Zuko sat down on a rock and looked out over the sea, somewhere out there was his mother, he doubted he would ever get the type of closer katara has just gotten, but he was beyond happy for her, she had needed this zuko thought.

  
“Are you gonna tell us what happen with sugar queen or not?”

  
“Yeah y-yeah sorry, kinda got lost in my head” zuko muttered as he picked at his cuticle. “What do you want to know?”

  
As zuko recounted his and katara's past days he purposely left out the part about katara blood bending, that was for her to tell them. sokka's blue eyes widened till zuko thought is head might explode. “THATS MY BABY SISTER!” sokka said with a mix of pure pride and sadness. “I should go talk to her”

  
Suki put her and on his shoulder and quietly said “give her some space for a bit, she needs it” sokka smiled back at her and nodded

  
“I could help with dinner” zuko mumbled

  
“You can cook sparky?”

  
“Yeah toph, shocking I know” with a half smile. zuko walked towards to cooking supplies, muttering to him self about something know one could here.

  
“You know that was a nice thing you did for her, and to think from what sokka has told me a few months ago you would have tide her to a tree” suki says with a smile

  
“um , yeah i guess, i mean, l-lik-e, she, she needed that” cringing internally at his own self continuous, zuko looked up at suki and with only a little hesitation he asked “hey, you know how to cook?”

  
“Only,” grabbing the bag of fire flake, “if you don't put any of these in”

\--------------------------

Katara wasn't at dinner. Aang kept looking back toward here tent, zuko quietly watched aang as him watch katara (not so quietly).

  
“I think I should go check on her” aang said “i just think she should know that i'm here for her”

  
“Thats would be nice aang but she's gonna need some time”

  
“Suki” aang looks down to the ground as he talks “you don't know her like i do, i should talk to her.”

  
Sukis face gos a but flat, and her gray purple eyes dim for just a moment, sokka sees this but cant quite understand how she feels. Hes always been taken care of by his sister, he doesn't know what he would do with out her, but zuko understand, just an hour ago he hadn't been with in katars good graces. He still doesn't quite no where he lands with the water bender, he hopes she will just maybe hug him again. That thought makes zuko turn red and look down. This is not how he is meant to feel less then 24 hours ago she hates him, just a week ago she threatened to kill him, and all he can think is how warm she was, how soft her hair -

  
_Shut up_

  
His mind scream.

  
“Hey zuko” sokka says quietly, “you good buddy?”

  
Zuko all most flinches at the niceness in his voice. “yeah I think so”

\--------------------------

Katara opens her eyes slowly, and takes count of her surrounding,

  
_I must of fallen a sleep on the ground, spirits i was sleepy, oh, wait, yeah that would make sense._

  
She thinks

  
The past days wash over katara like a dam braking. Her mothers killer, the southers raiders, her blood bending, and, zuko. Theres a bowl with some rice and what look like steamed vegetables right by the flap of the tents door, as she picks it up a piece of paper falls from the bottom of the bowl, it reads:

  
_Katara,_

_hope your feeling better, i made dinner (don't worry about it) anyway hope you like. Suki said no fire flakes so hope its ok._   
_-Zuko_

  
She almost grins when she sees his name, but before she can a light passes by her tent.

  
Katara sticks her head out of the tent and regrets doing so almost immediately. Sokka is not so quietly sneaking into suki's tent, she inwardly cringes and looks down blushing a bit in embarrassment. Hunched over about a foot away from her is zuko sleeping quietly.

  
“Hey” she whispers “why are you out her”

  
Zuko hears her voice before he sees her, as a result he almost jumps put of his skin when he sees her.

  
“Katara, hey, um, sorry, um,” his mind willing him to get out a sentence, he tries again. “Uh, I made dinner-”

  
“I saw you note, thanks”

  
“Oh. your welcome, i mean you cook all the time, its the lest i could do, after well, after all of this. Was it good?”

  
“Im not sure”

  
“Oh”

  
“No, not like that! I just haven't eaten yet”

  
“Oh, good” he feels better knowing that she hadn't dismissed his food. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

  
“Im not sure, some company would be nice..”

\--------------------------

The tent was small, it wasn't meant to fit two people that felt uncomfortable touching each other. The half foot between them was full of something nether of them understood.  
Katara stared in to the bowl of rice, there was barley any left, the quietness that filled the air around them was almost suffocating, she could fell zuko's nerves, they were electrifying. She felt him looking at her, his coper eyes glancing down at her form a few seconds at a time, only to look away at the last second. She was done with this weighted silence between them.

  
“Zuko” she broached

“Yeah” his tone, was soft, open.

  
“Um, how are you..”

  
“Im ok.”

  
“Just ok?”

  
“Its kinda a weird time, its just the past few das have made me think a lot.”

  
“You cant just leave me with that, you have to tell me the hole story.”

  
And so he did, zuko explained the conversation he had with is father the day of the eclipse, and more importantly what his father had told him about his mother. Zuko didn't quite feel right unloading on katara, she had her own stuff to deal with, her own guilt surrounding her mothers death, guilt he hoped he had maybe just maybe helped to lessen. When he was done, she looked at him big sad blue eyes, that were full of pain, for him.

  
“Im so sorry zuko, I-I cant imagine what that feels like, just know, its not your fault.”

  
She was so good at helping other people, just not her self zuko thought.

  
“The thing is, it, it is my fault. She died to save me.”

  
“I know the feeling”'

  
“Kinda sucks right?”

  
“Yeah kinda does.” But he couldn't help but feel better.”what you did out there, out on that ship, was, well, amazing. Can i ask how?” he felt that maybe that was what she wanted, or needed to talk about.

  
“Its called blood bending, its hard, i've only done it twice.” she mumbled. “That kinda power over someones life, it makes you feel..”

  
“Dangerous” he finished.

  
“I don't think aang, and sokka would like it. But I also don't think they would understand.”

  
“Aang cant because he sees you as,” he struggled to find the right words to explain. “Only one side of a coin. He choses only to see you as what he, wants.” that sounded mean but he thought it might be right.

  
“I am what aang sees me as, but i mean I don't want to be defined by that.” she says hesitantly. "i'm not only that." 

  
“Talk about not only being defined by how you seem.” he almost laughed. “Im the fire lords son, talking to a mater waterbender, and i'm not even gonna try and kidnap you. Your more then how any one person sees you.” your more then, then..”

  
“ A Sugar queen?” she offered.

  
“Definitely”

  
Katara could see no way see could hate zuko, no way she could want to kill him, the boy siting on her sleeping bag, was not the same person that came to her village to capture the avatar almost a year ago. Just then she lunged towered him, encircling his neck in her arm, grabbing his hair in her hand and puling him towered her. Zuko was at first shocked by what she had just done, the swiftness of her movement and in which she had grabbed him, he didn't mind. As she hugged him his ruff and almost velvety scar ran across her cheek, memories, mostly tinted green costed through her mind, glazed by hope she thought had been lost. Zuko's thoughts were more along the lines of she's touching my hair, oh wait SHES TOUCHING MY HAIR.

\--------------------------

Toph slept with her feet routed strongly on the ground, she wanted to know when someone was coming to disturb her sleeping. Tonight a lot of people were disturbing her sleep. First Aang couldn't stop walking, probably because Zuko was outside Katara's tent, that Sokka thought she wasn't sure Aang knew that. Sokka and Suki were till spirits know how late doing something she did not want to think about. And now this. At fist she thought it was sokka had woken suki up for some more, well she knew what.. But the two racing heart beats were not the same as the non bending couple. The two people with there arms rapped around each other were most definitely not sokka and suki.


	2. Sun Maple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! sooooo, this update took a loooong time but i hope you in joy!

Katara woke in a dreamy haze of sleep and confusion. Streams of sun were shining through the fabric of the tent and the sound of a warm breezy past by her ears. She couldn't remember falling a sleep, her last memory was being rapped in zuko's arms. Some where along the way he must of put her down and tucked her. 

_ That was sweet  _

She found her self thinking.

As katara stretched her arms above her head all of the memories from last night flew back into her head. Purposely choosing to set those thoughts a side, she climbed out of the tent and headed to the now extinguished campfire. Zuko's raven black hair was the only thing she saw, before his face could come fully in to focus Aang's cheerful voice puled her back to reality. 

“Katara! How are you? Are you ok? Want some food? What about, well anything? Oh and good morning!” 

“ Aang, calm down” suki chastised. 

“Im good thanks, Aang.” her eyes moved to zuko for a split second, it was probably safer to pretend last night had well never happened.

“Um, I, we made some food” zuko's said. He was puling on the back part of his hair, trying desperately to quite his racing thoughts. 

“Zuko did all of it, he pretty good” 

“Oh thanks suki, tha-ts sweet of you”

“I would love some.” she didn't like how hesitant everyone was around her, it wasn't like she was about to brake. Well at lest not any more.

The four of them sat around the camp fire listening to toph snor and Aang's never ending questions about katara and zuko’s ‘field trip’. At some point sokka stumbled out of his tent, demanded some of the rice that the others were earring and plopped down next to suki. 

“Soo, how did we all sleep? I for one, well let me say that sleeping mat did wonders for my back!” 

“I slept well” zuko mumbled. Katara hoped she didn't know what he was talking about. 

“Sureeee you did sparky” a still slightly Delirious toph said. Zuko's cheeks looked like they were about to burn off. Toph stumbled out of the tent with a slight smirk on her face “Now whats for breakfast?”

Ignoring Toph’s question suki stared talking “We cant stay here for ever. Were not nearly far enough away from the temple, zuko has been showing me some maps and we think we should move on.”

“I don't see why we cant stay, Aang complaint, “this seems safe to me” Aang's Complaint went unnoticed as sokka Demanded to see the map. 

\--------------------------

They were all preparing to leave when aang walked up to katara who was putting away the things from breakfast. She hated that she hadn't helped with meals for the plast day.

“ hey aang”

“Katara, I - I just wanted to make sure you were doing ok, and ask if zuko, if he tried to make you hurt that, man” he trailed off, he was smart enough to see she wasn't really hearing him. 

“Aang, zuko would never make me hurt someone. I went as far as i wanted to.”

“And how far was that.”

“Far enough.”

“Did, did you hurt him.”   
“Do you remember Hama?”

“Yes. she was awful, that woman was, if a monster. Her blood bending, it was one of the most disgusting things i've ever seen.” he caught his breath and whispered, “I hope you never do that.”

She had planed to tell him, his Compassion had seemed so real she thought he would under stand. But it felt more like he had just called her a monster. She turned away and walked back to her things. 

\--------------------------

Zuko walked to the side of the cliff they were camped on, before him the blue green see stretched out before him. He had loved this country, he had thought this war would bring about a better time for the hole world. He was Dismayed By the naïveté of his past Convictions. He had spent 3 years of life looking for the avatar and now he had just eaten a meal with him. His mind couldn't help but wonder to his conversation with katara, 

_ just know, its not your fault _

She had said. But he knew that his mother had given up her hole world to save his life. He had to know the truth, he had to understand why. 

_ When the war is over I will do anything and everything in my power to find her, _

_ I swear on my honor. _

He would not let her down. 

\--------------------------

They had traveled light ever Since the day In the North Pole where everything changed. over a half a year ago now she had set out with Aang and her brother. She rolled up her sleeping bag and grabbed her water skin. She only felt a little bad about how she had handled things with aang. 

_ He called me a monster. He is never going to understand. I don't need to feel bad.  _

But she did. She would Always feel bad when it came to Aang. 

“Hey, sugar queen!” 

“Toph, hi, how are you.” she said Absently. 

“Some ones lost in there head, what cha thinkin bout?” toph said with a bit too much glee in the way she made katara Cringe. “Oh wait let me guess! Aang? Sokka, oh oh me?”

Katara looked down at toph, ho couldn't tell. “Yeah. Aang.” toph's face changed in confusion. “Its nothing, what did you need?”

Toph was not good with feelings, but she didn't need to make katara more upset then she was. Mocking and teasing were more her speed. “Um do you need to talk about it? Given as i can’t see i’m a good listener.”

“I’m ok.” she couldn't help but smile and toph's attempted to connect with her feelings. “ what did you Actually want to tell me?”

“Ok here we go.” *Cracking knuckles* “how did you sleep last night sugar queen? Did you maybe, just maybe did you need a prince to put you to sleep..?”

“TOPH!” katara turned more red then she had thought possible. “It was not like that”    
“I don't know, I wasn't there but I felt some racing hearts… Care to elaborate  _ Sugar Queen?”  _

“Im leaving now. See you on appa”

“Could you people remember for one second that I can see when were in the air!”  __

Appa flew silently through the sky, the light blue sky was ruled by the sun during the day, its kingdom reached every inch of air. When the sun dipped below the horizon leaving behind a glorious celebration of its time in this part of the sky, the moon, as white as sea foam, as powerful as anything in sky. The combined power of the sun and moon was something that had not been seen in over a hundred years. 

Zuko stared out into the cloudless sky. Katara had not talked to him scenes there late night conversation. He hoped he hadn't done something to upset her. He wished to the spirits that he had not gone too far. 

_ Maybe I should not of sat outside her tent, maybe I should say sorry.  _

What zuko did not know was that while Aang talked to katara her mind was about as far from the conversation as she could be. Her thoughts Roamed back to last night. She could not read zuko's emotions, his face was an impassive mask of Silence. Sokka stopped her train of thought. 

“Zuko how far did you say to this forrest?”

“Should be about an hour.” Aang said “what about after this, are we just gonna go from place till pace till the commit comes?”

“I think we could go to my family's” he said family with a slight Hesitation. “ beach house, Its all Private.”

“I don't know, wont azula find us”

“It should be fine Aang. Know one in my family wants to go there.” he stoped talking after that. 

\--------------------------

They touched down in a clearing surrounded by towering trees with streaks of gold in the bark and massive Orange and red leaves dripping down from the branches. The ground was a carpet of moss, spotted with small red and pink flowers and small mushrooms. The group looked awed by there surroundings, suki took sokka's hand and smiled at him, toph could feel the roots that stretched out in a million directions, spreading and twisting to each other. “ twinkle Toes! Time to train, stop Gawking at some leaves, we have work todo!”

“Toph come on, I wanted to train with katara!”

“We need to work on your fire bending, you can spar with you girl friend later.” zuko wasn't sure why did had said that, he saw the way that Aang talked and  _ looked _ at katara, it was shockingly Familiar. Zuko's word cut deep into katara, she wasn't anyone's girl friend, the way he had said it, so mocking and harsh. She thought that the tone was past that, she had hopped she wasn't wrong. 

“IM NOT HIS GIRL FRIEND! But Zuko's right” katara nodded quietly, she couldn't let his words get in the way of Aang's training.

“Aang what's it gonna be?” sokka asked “earth of fire?”

“Earth I guess.”

“You can blow steam out of your ears with sparky later Aang.”

“I guess its me and you then.” zuko says while he pulled on the hem of his tunic. Scanning kataras dark eyes for a Sign of how shes was feeling. They haven't spoken Since last night when she had cried in his arms. He thought he had made it clear that he was there for her, she might of forgiven him but maybe he had not earned her trust. His word from a few seconds ago clearly didn't help. He could still see the Effects of the stinging Auditory slap in the face on her Features. He wanted to say sorry. 

“I guess it is.” she rapped water around her arms, Corkscrewing the cool liquid between her fingers. Katara couldn't quite understand zuko's actions today, after sitting outside her tent and bringing her dinner to the now almost Passive Aggressive and Simultaneously quiet boy standing before her. She had not wanted anyone to connected them to each other after her conversation with toph, the words toph had said swirled around in her mind. 

_ need a prince? _

She did not need anyone. 

With out warning zuko sent a fire ball towered her, she Easily avoided the burst of color and sent her water wip towered his ankle. He slashed her water wip and continued kicking Fire in kataras Direction. There dual continued, a passionate and messy mix of fire and water. After what felt like an eternity katara encased her hands in glistening water and reached for zuko, grabbing his arm and pulling him to the ground. Zuko hit the mossy carpet hard, as he fell he he raised the temperature of his body high enough to evaporate the sleeve of water around him. Katara was knocked of balance by his action a fell to the ground. Zuko blasted fire a few fet in front of her to keep her from standing up. As he did this she pulled every drop of water from the grass below them. She created a thin sheat of ice, that was Barely noticeable. Zuko stoped sending blasts of fire towered her feet and walked to katara, when he was a few steps away he reached put his hand. Zuko stepped on to the ice a slipped backward, as he fell she reshaped the ice, Encasing him. Katara jumped to feet and bent down to his ear.

“You could of played that better” she said with a smirk. “Good game.” katara walk towered sokka and suki with out turning around. This she thought was the best way to work out all the Complicated emotional turmoil in her head. 

“A little help?” 

With a flick of her rist the ice bindings came undone. 

\--------------------------

Katara, toph, suki, and sokka sat on the mossy bank of a small stream with there feet dipped in the water. The golden haze of sunset filled the air. Katara let her mind wonder to after the war, when she and everyone she loved would be safe. When she could be reunited with with her father and gran-gran, when they, the six kids a in a forrest didn't have to be the last hope for the world.

“Where are Twinkle toes and Sparky?”

“Im not sure toph.” kartara said Absentmindedly as she ran a stream of cool water Between her fingers. “Ill go look for them.” It didn't take long to find the two of them. Zuko was standing tall demonstrating the proper stance to Aang, aang lacked the confidence that zuko had (when it came to fire bending) They were both shirtless and Sweaty, the Amber Sun beat down on them, filling them with power that generations of fire benders had felt before them. 

“Hey, we were looking for you guys, hows the training?” she made a not so visible effort to maintain eye contact.

“Hi! Wanna see what zuko showed me?”

“Sure aang” she quickly shot a glance at zuko, his features controlled by wry smile. Aang shot fire into the sky and Demonstrated his Newfound ability, with each kick or punch zuko would give only the slightest indication if the Performance was up to his standard. After aang had run through the Stances that zuko had showed him he shot a wide smile at katara. “Just head back when your done.”

“We can be done now.” zuko walked back towards camp with out a second look. 

“He left his shirt.” Aang commented. Handing the tunic to katara she bent the salty water from it and headed back in the direction zuko had walked. 

Zuko sat down next to toph a dropped his feet into the water, he could almost see the steam rising from the water. He had Notice katara initial reaction when she had come to get him and Aang.This only left him more confused then he had been before. But she had barley said anything directly to him even after they had spared. Her closing words had been so close to his ear.

“Sparky how was training with aang? Is he any good? 

“Um” he gulped pushing away his thoughts. “He’s getting better, Discipline isn’t his strong suit.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Hey where are Aang and katara?” suki asked

“And Im right here suki.” aang said as he walked towered the group. “I just needed to feed appa.” Aang sat down and splashed his feet in to the stream, he turned to sokka a started talking. Zuko was the first to notice katara returning. She sat down next to him, leaving ample space for the Deafening silence between them.

“Soo,” toph drawled “ were you too Sucking face.” both aang and katara redned but toph was the only one that felt zuko's body tempter rise. 

“Yuck, no toph.” katara said, as she quickly Glanced as zuko. “Hi, um I have your shirt.” she offered. He looked down into her big eyes, swirling with every moment from the past year. she handed him the now dry tunic. 

“Thanks, it dry.”

“Yeah, water bending and all.” she leaned forward dipping her palm into the water, she made an orb of water and let in dance in her finger tips. 

“Hey sugar queen your back! When are we gonna eat?”

“Oh could we have something thats not just rice and vegetables, meat maybe?”

“Hey, I don't eat meat sokka! But dinner would be good thanks katara.” 

“Yeah I can go cook, we don't have much thought. Ill see what I can do.” she Stood up, and shot a smile down at her friends.

“I can do it katara, if you tired….” 

“Its ok zuko I don't mine.”

“Let me help? Its the lest you could do after freezing me to the ground.” 

“Ok.” she said with a Laugh. The two of them walk towered appa and there things. “How was sparing with Aang?” 

“Good, he needs more work.” 

“Yeah, there was a Awkward Stillness in her words. “Um, we don't have much in the way of anything.”

“Yeah, I had to Scrape dinner together last night.”

“Thanks again for doing that.”

“Oh its nothing, you needed time.” 


End file.
